1. Field
Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor design technology, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device including an output driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, when a semiconductor device exchanges a signal with an external device, noise occurs due to an impedance mismatch between the semiconductor device and the external device during the signal exchange. Particularly, the noise causes Inter-Symbolic Interference (ISI), and thus the signal cannot fully swing between a power source voltage level and a ground voltage level, and the signal becomes distorted.
To prevent this problem, a pre-emphasis circuit is applied to the semiconductor device. The pre-emphasis circuit is connected in parallel to a pad together with an output driver. The pre-emphasis circuit improves timing margin of a signal, which is outputted from the output driver, when the signal transitions.
However, an additional area for the pre-emphasis circuit is required in the semiconductor device since the pre-emphasis circuit is a separate component. Also, it is hard to perform a high-speed operation because parasitic capacitance and parasitic resistance, caused by the pre-emphasis circuit, are reflected into the pad.